St Joseph’s RC Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Short inspection of St Joseph's RC Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 19 March 2019, I write on behalf of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills to report the inspection findings.

The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in January 2015. This school continues to be good. The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection.

Based on the evidence gathered during this short inspection, I am of the opinion that the school has demonstrated strong practice and marked improvement in specific areas. This may indicate that the school has improved significantly o...verall. Therefore, I am recommending that the school's next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

The school's senior leaders demonstrate a shared ambition for continued improvement. As a result of leaders' actions, outcomes for children in Reception, and pupils in the phonics screening check and at the end of key stage 1 and key stage 2 are consistently above the national data. Monitoring procedures are robust and support the high expectations the school has for all its pupils.

Governors are well informed and demonstrate an understanding of the priorities for the school, including continuing to improve outcomes in writing. They recognise the effective working relationships between senior leaders and staff. The curriculum is broad and balanced, and the local authority highlights this as a strength of the school.

There is a range of trips and activities that enrich the curriculum, including the residentials to Sayers Croft, and an outdoor activity centre in Wales. Pupils and governors are proud of and value these opportunities. The previous inspection report identified that teachers should check on pupils' learning and understanding in lessons.

The school has addressed this, and in the lessons we visited teachers were checking pupils' understanding and, subsequently, providing any appropriate support or challenge. You ensure that there is a caring and supportive ethos running through all aspects of the school. Pupils value this and say that adults in the school are kind and look after them.

They enjoy and value the support that older pupils give to younger pupils through the buddying system. Safeguarding is effective. Leaders and governors have implemented effective systems and policies to safeguard pupils.

Necessary checks relating to safer recruitment of staff are in place, and are regularly monitored by governors. Senior leaders and members of the governing body have undertaken safer recruitment training. Staff have completed the training necessary for them to fulfil their safeguarding responsibilities.

If there are safeguarding concerns, staff follow the reporting and referral procedures that are in place. Posters with the names of the safeguarding leads are highly visible around the school. Leaders review and update detailed case studies for vulnerable pupils on a regular basis.

Pupils say that they feel safe in school, and they know adults will listen to them and take appropriate action if they have concerns. Although there are a few bullying incidents, pupils say that staff deal with them quickly and effectively. Behaviour is good in lessons and around the school.

Inspection findings ? The end-of-key-stage-2 outcomes for attainment and progress are consistently above national averages. We agreed that our first key line of enquiry would be to explore the actions leaders have taken to achieve these outcomes. ? There is very detailed monitoring of data by leaders and staff.

Regular pupil progress meetings target support and interventions for pupils. There is a commitment to quality training, and teachers' subject knowledge is strong. You and your leaders expect all pupils to achieve to their potential.

You provide additional support to enable all pupils to access the curriculum. ? In mathematics, pupils' books show they are able to apply their arithmetic and reasoning skills. Teachers provide pupils with challenging work, and give pupils opportunities to explain their methods to others in the class.

• You explained that it is a priority for the school to continue to improve outcomes in writing. In pupils' books and folders, there are examples that show progress in writing, over time. You have worked to develop pupils' confidence and ability to talk about their work, and this was clearly demonstrated when I spoke to them.

• The previous inspection report identified that work set for pupils should be closely matched to their abilities and that learning activities were not sufficiently challenging. We agreed that the second key line of enquiry would focus on the work the school has done to address this. ? Our visits to lessons and sampling of pupils' books showed that teachers plan work that is appropriate to pupils' abilities.

This helps them to make progress and deepen their learning. Some pupils require additional support, which teachers provide through the careful scaffolding of activities. Additional adults help a number of pupils with their learning so that these pupils can access the curriculum.

Particularly strong examples of this support were seen in English, mathematics and science. ? Pupils enjoy a range of activities across subjects that challenge them to develop their skills. These include predicting, testing and recording in science, map reading skills in geography, applying their reasoning skills to solve problems in mathematics and persuasive letter writing to the headteacher.

• The school's self-evaluation says that the curriculum is engaging, exciting and stimulating, and that it broadens pupils' educational experiences. The third line of enquiry explored how effectively leaders develop pupils' breadth and depth of knowledge across all subjects. ? Good provision is in place for a range of subjects, including science, geography, history, art, music, religious education, physical education and Italian.

Specialist teachers are used to teach music, physical education and Italian, which is taught from Reception to Year 6. Work in pupils' books showed the breadth of topics covered, and the skills being developed, such as in science and art. Writing skills are a focus for learning within and across subjects, such as religious education and history.

Pupils' engagement in lessons is a strength. ? You provide a range of enrichment activities. Within school, there are specialist subject weeks for history, art, geography and science.

Work from the recent art week is proudly displayed in classrooms and around the school. Pupils value the extensive range of trips and visits, including to Tate Modern, the Tower of London, Churchill War Rooms and the Forest School at Paddington Recreation Ground. Speakers and visitors regularly hold workshops and address pupils.

Links have been forged with local secondary schools, particularly enabling pupils to engage with a number of scientific activities. Next steps for the school Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that: ? outcomes in writing continue to improve. I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the director of education for the Archdiocese of Westminster, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children's services for Westminster.

This letter will be published on the Ofsted website. Yours sincerely Brian Simber Ofsted Inspector Information about the inspection I met with you and senior leaders to discuss your evaluation of the school's effectiveness and to agree key lines of enquiry. We discussed the safeguarding procedures at the school.

I reviewed the single central record with the school administration officer. I met with members of the governing body, and held a telephone conversation with the local authority link adviser. I met with a group of pupils to find out their views about the school.

I reviewed pupils' work across a number of subjects. I observed a number of lessons jointly with you and senior leaders. I considered the 104 responses to the Parent View questionnaire.

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